This deluxe edition of Visions of the Country features a gatefold, tip-on “old-style” jacket, 140-gram black vinyl, and small poster.

Recorded in the height of Robbie Basho's creative career, Visions of the Country was originally released at the end of 1978, slipping quickly out of print and into relative obscurity. The album is comprised of technically superb instrumentation (6 & 12 string guitars and piano); majestic compositions; transcendent singing and whistling; and astonishing lyrical, emotional, and spiritual depths.

It is with a feeling of tremendous honor and joy that we offer this re-issue, which we hope will please existing Basho devotees, and create new acolytes, in equal measure. The feeling is akin to re-introducing an endangered species back into its native habitat, for this album is a precious, mighty, and wild thing. Visions of the Country should not stay cooped-up in expensive e-bay auctions and low quality vinyl-to-Mp3 rips, it needs to soar gloriously in high fidelity through our culture once more!

Visions of the Country is most simply a depiction of the expansive American West, and an ecstatic journey into Basho's equally expansive imagination and mystical approach to creativity... In Basho's own words: "My philosophy is quite simple: soul first, technique later, or 'Better to drink wine from the hands than water from a pretty cup'; of course the ultimate is wine from a pretty cup. Amen."

Visions of the Country is a shining example of what artistic heights can be attained when soul and technique meet on a deep level – in our opinion it is one of the finest albums ever recorded, wine from a very beautiful and magical cup indeed.

SAMPLE TRACKS

TRACK LIST

SIDE A:  1. Green River Suite 2. Rodeo 3. Rocky Mountain Raga 4. Variations on Easter 5. Blue Crystal Fire 

SIDE B:  1. Orphan's Lament 2. Leaf in the Wind 3. Night Way 4. Elk Dreamer's Lament 5. Call on the Wind

MORE ABOUT THIS RELEASE

We have sought to re-issue Visions of the Country with the highest level of intention & integrity, seeking out analog sources for both the music and the artwork. Artwork is presented in very much the same fashion as the original release with a few minimal changes made to include new information. Paper stock (heavy reverse-board) and pressing weight (140 gram) have been upgraded. New vinyl masters were cut by the excellent John Golden. The original insert is also included in the package, along with a download for high quality Mp3's and FLAC. 

SELECT PRESS

8.7 rating and named BEST NEW REISSUE – "...a blunderbuss of feeling, tied to unstoppable technique...Basho’s sound is dramatic and yearning and very personal, altogether unapologetic for the way he saw the world. What’s most remarkable about Basho is how busy and emphatic but absolutely effortless his songs could feel, especially when he touches the guitar. At once, Basho could appear to be laying it all on the line and simply breezing through the notes. After more than three decades out of print, ["Visions of the Country"] is finally back in circulation; on its 35th anniversary, it serves as an ecstatic testimonial for a guitarist in need of a popular resurrection." – Pitchfork

"Robbie Basho's essential LP" – The Fader

"'Visions of the Country' is one of the finest records from a guitar legend. Robbie Basho, the godfather of 12-string guitar playing, was always a man apart. While John Fahey tried to press new treads into the dusty ground, Basho had his eye on the astral plane. This album, now reissued on Gnome Life, is one of the finest odes to landscape ever recorded. Basho’s tribute to the American West is expansive and exploratory... This is an album of stunning performances. Throughout, we get the interplay of intricate guitars ringing out and around Basho’s booming, rolling voice. As Basho mines the land in these songs for some connection, for something spiritual, you too are bound to feel tied to these songs. They may reveal something nameless, some feeling you can’t quite pinpoint, but one you can’t ignore nonetheless. This is unabashed, open-hearted music, and a classic album worth re-evaluation." – Pop Matters

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